Background
Hyacinthe Rigaud was born on July 18, 1659, in Perpignan, France. He was a son of Josep Matias Pere Ramon Rigau, a tailor and painter. Also, Hyacinthe had a brother, Gaspard Rigaud, a painter.
Order of Saint Michael
Hyacinthe Rigaud was born on July 18, 1659, in Perpignan, France. He was a son of Josep Matias Pere Ramon Rigau, a tailor and painter. Also, Hyacinthe had a brother, Gaspard Rigaud, a painter.
Initially, Hyacinthe was trained in tailoring in his father's workshop. Later, during the period from 1671 until 1675, he studied painting under the guidance of Antoine Ranc in Montpelier. In 1675, the painter left for Lyon, where he examined Flemish, Dutch and Italian painting, particularly that of Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Titian, whose works Hyacinthe later collected.
In 1681, the painter moved to Paris, where he won Prix de Rome the following year. However, he didn't travel to Rome. Also, it was in Paris, that Hyacinthe studied art under Charles Le Brun.
In 1681, Rigaud settled down in Paris, where he devoted himself to portraiture, which was a genre, that he took to the highest level of expression. Eventually, the painter caught the attention of the King Louis XIV and the Court with his depiction of Monsieur, King’s brother, in 1688, followed by the one of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, the following year.
In 1694, Rigaud created a portrait of Louis XIV in armour. However, it was the portrait in coronation attire, dated 1701, which really established the painter’s reputation. French and European sovereigns continued to commission portraits from Hyacinthe during all his lifetime. In 1730, Rigaud created portrait of Louis XV.
In 1710, the painter was made a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris, where he remained until 1735.
During his lifetime, Rigaud also demonstrated his talent in several religious paintings. Influenced by van Dyck and Champaigne, he played a key role in French and European portrait art.
Sainte Madeleine
Louis XV
Christ expiant sur la croix
La Menasseuse
Portrait of a Young Philippe D'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, Regent of France
Louis De France, Duc De Bourgogne
Auguste III De Pologne
Jean Baptiste Monginot
François Marie De Broglie
La Famille Lafitte
Charles De Saint Albin, Archbishop of Cambrai
Self-Portrait
Louis De France, Dauphin
Suzanne De Boubers De Bernâtre
Le Brun Par Rigaud
Portrait of the Duc de Broglie
Gian Francesco II Brignole Sale
Robert de Cotte
Louis XIV, Roi De France
Gueidan
Quotes from others about the person
"Hyacinthe Rigaud was one of those French painters, who knew the highest celebrity under the Ancien Régime. This admiration was deserved both for the surprising abundance of his work and for its constant perfection." — Jacques Thuillier, art historian
"On his death, Rigaud left behind a gallery of major figures with whom our imagination now populates the galerie des Glaces; Rigaud was necessary to the 'gloire' of Louis XIV and participated in this shining of a reign whose majesty he fixed in paint." — Louis Hourticq, art historian
Rigaud married Élisabeth de Gouy on May 17, 1710. Their marriage produced no children. When Élisabeth got sick, Rigaud nursed her through a long illness. The woman died at the age of seventy-five on March 15, 1743.